26th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

I worked on a homily earlier in the week without knowing the tragedy that would soon face our local area. Like many of you I had my preconceived plans changed. Hurricane Helene has truly wreaked havoc throughout the United States and has touched us locally in a very intimate way.

On Saturday morning in preparation for Mass I was looking through the Roman Missal to find a fitting set of prayers for the occasion. I soon found the section for civil needs specifically for refugees and exiles. Sadly, in our local area there are now many who find themselves to be refugees and exiles. There homes have been taken from them, some have lost their lives, and others have lost contact with those whom they love.

The words to the Collect for that Mass, “O Lord, to whom no one is a stranger and from whose help no one is ever distant, look with compassion on refugees and exiles, on segregated persons and on lost children; restore them, we pray, to a homeland, and give us a kind heart for the needy and for strangers. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

The Introit for that Mass is taken from Psalm 91, “For you has God commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.” September 29th is the Feast of the Archangels (Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael). They were given an important task and so too the angels continue to watch over each of us as is seen with our guardian angels whose feast day will be October 2nd. May they watch over us and pray for those affected by this tragedy.

In the midst of this tragedy and everyone like it let us continue to place our trust in the Lord. The days ahead will require us to embrace the cross, but from from the cross hope always shines forth through our Lord’s Resurrection. There will be those who will find themselves in need and in the words of our Gospel we shall respond to their need, “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” Let us remain people of faith who embrace the Gospel and share it with all whom we encounter in this life.

26th Sunday of OT Year B Homily (Not used)

Today we observe the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Nevertheless, September 29th is the Feast of the Archangels where we venerate the only three angels named in Sacred Scripture (Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael).

Angels have played an important role in God’s revelation to humanity. They remain important for each of us as we continue our journey here on earth towards the Heavenly Kingdom. On October 2nd we will celebrate the Memorial of the Guardian Angels. We cannot forget that we each have been entrusted with a guardian angel who offers guidance and protection that we may run this race towards Heaven.

Angels remain important throughout every aspect of our lives. When we gather for Mass we chant their angelic hymn in the Gloria and Sanctus. In the Preface we are reminded of them through the closing statement which always makes reference to the presence of the angels. We must always make room for devotion to the angels and our guardian angel to be present in our midst for we so often forget about their existence.

The angels are now in Heaven with God. It is their purpose to serve God, to praise God, and to worship God. Throughout history God has used His angels to communicate with us. At the Annunciation it was the Archangel Gabriel who brought about the invitation that Mary would conceive the Saviour of the world. It was Saint Raphael who journeyed with Tobiah and brought about healing to those whom he encountered. It is these angels who continue to aid us even though they remain unseen.

We cannot forget Saint Michael who thrusts Satan out of Heaven in the Book of Revelation. Saint Michael intercedes for us in the midst of the spiritual warfare that we encounter each day. Let us not get caught up in the wickedness and snares of the devil, but be liberated from these plights.

Our Gospel makes known that we must be willing to rid ourself of all that will get in the way of Heaven. If something causes us to sin we must be willing to let it go. What is it that we latch onto that must be let go for the sake of the Kingdom of God? May the angels intercede for us that we may remain steadfast in our practice of faith and let go of all that keeps us from this Kingdom.

Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, pray for us.

25th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

In the Gospel of Saint Matthew our Blessed Lord states to us, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid to waste, and no town or house divided against itself will stand.” Our Epistle from Saint James paints a picture of such division brought about through our passions. Here our passions begin to wage war against all wisdom.

It should not be hard for us to imagine a world that is filled with such division. Wars continue to wage throughout the world between countries with different perspectives. A new election cycle brings about further division in the midst of a highly polarized world. Many no longer have a moral compass that has been formed by faith in Christ and so there is division that is brought about due to truth.

We must remain on guard against such divisions that are brought about. We must remember that we should be united in our practice of faith. As Saint Paul declares, “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.” It is Christ who must be our strength in order that we remain united onto Him through in all that we say and do.

If we want to counteract this division that exists and be moved back towards that unity that ought to be present we must allow Christ to be “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” in all that we say and do. As Christians this is the peace that we must strive for by overcoming those passions that run rampant which strive to pull us away from the Lord. We must hold steadfast in our faith as we remain watchful concerning all of these assaults which come our way.

Therefore, wherever conflict can be found among us we must realize that there is one truth for which our heart longs, Christ. We must come to know Him, we must come to serve Him, and we must come to love Him. If we fail to strive to grow in this relationship we have lost sight of what is important and have allowed ourself to instead be formed by the ways of the world. These ways will never lead us towards the unity that should be present.

Let us be sent forth from here to find our unity in Christ and the faith that we come to profess with our lips.

25th Sunday of OT Homily (Parish Picnic)

Today we gather in order to give thanks to God for the gift of this parish community. It is important that each of us remembers that we are called upon to be a servant. In the words of our Gospel, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” It is easy to approach our life of faith and forget this servitude to the Gospel. Therefore, there is no greater way to begin this parish celebration then with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which joins us together as one at the altar of sacrifice.

It is my hope that this parish community will continue to grow. In the words of the Great Commission, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This growth is not dependent upon me, or you, or some innovation to bring in the masses. It is dependent upon our fidelity to the Lord and fidelity to the faith that has been handed down to us by Him. In other words we are called upon to be servants of all that has been handed onto us.

In our prayer we must discern the ways in which we can more fervently love the Lord our God. We do this in our liturgy authentically celebrated, through our study of the faith, through our personal prayer especially before the Blessed Sacrament, and through our works of charity given as a response to the Gospel. This forms us into servants of the Lord who are being prepared to lead others into an encounter with the Him instead of away from Him.

As humble servants let us do all things for the greater glory of God.

18th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

The Lord worked two miracles in our Gospel, He heals a man of his sins and then heals the same man from his physical ailments. It is only after He heals the man of his sins that He turns around and commands him to walk.

Of these two miracles that were worked only one of them can be seen with the human eye, healing a man so that he can walk, and the other is impossible to see with the human eye, your sins are forgiven. Despite being unseen the forgiveness of sins is the greater of the two miracles which were worked.

Through both of these miracles the Lord is working on His Divine authority. Through such authority being used we can conclude that the Lord is more then a simple human. Rather, He is God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity who has taken on our human flesh and made His dwelling place among us.

The forgiveness of sins remains something close to the life of the Church. We are able to rejoice in the sacrament of confession where we come in order to be absolved of our sins. To leave the confessional is to leave behind a life of sin and walk out forgiven and fortified with the gift of God’s grace.

In the sacrament of confession it is the priest who hears the sins of another and it is the priest who grants absolution. In the words of our Blessed Lord directed to His apostles, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

An objection made against the sacrament of confession is that only God can can forgive sins and not man. After all in our Gospel it was Christ under His Divine authority that forgave the sins of this man. I agree that the priest is merely man, but this limitation does not mean that Christ is unable to work through Him.

The priest is ordained which means that he is set apart and is able to work in the Person of Christ. This statement does not mean that He turns into Christ when celebrating the Mass, hearing confessions, or at other times. This statement is to say that at these key moments that it is Christ. As the picture in the Baltimore Catechism would show what you see, the priest, and what you should see, Christ.

In the Book of Acts we are told of how Saint Peter healed a crippled man. Peter stated, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” Here Peter is able to heal through Christ and so too through Christ He as priest and bishop is able to forgive sins.

Therefore, when we make use of the sacrament of confession we allow the Lord to treat us as He did this man stricken with palsy. Let us trust in Him in order that our sins may be forgiven.

24th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Just yesterday the Church celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Today our Blessed Lord reminded us of the importance of the Holy Cross by stating, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Other faith traditions often find the Catholic use of the cross to be confusing. They exclaim that the Lord has risen and ascended into Heaven and thus no longer found upon it. To leave the Lord crucified is to lose sight of such hope. The Church never rejects the resurrection and ascension of the Lord. These mysteries of faith are proclaimed by us in the Mass and throughout the liturgical year.

Rather, the cross is an important reminder of the salvation that has been won for us upon it. Through it we can look upon the infinite depths of His love as He died for us. This is a most wondrous love that has set us free from sin and death. By looking upon we can see that the life of the Christian is not so simple and thus we are to join ourself unto Him in order that we may triumph over all that we undergo in this life.

Saint Josemaria Escriva stated of the cross, “We love- we should love- the Cross sincerely, because where the Cross is, there is Christ with his Love, his presence that fills everything.”

These are wise words for they turn the burden of the cross into a joy. The Lord invited us to enter into the cross. This is something that is difficult, but through it we are given life. The cross is sprinkled into every life, but we don’t have to embrace it and enter into relationship with Him. That must be our choice. In taking up the cross we are not left alone, but enter into a relationship with Him.

The cross ought to be something that we surround ourself with as a sacramental. A sacramental directs our mind unto God and assist us in remaining open to the gift of His grace. Is there a crucifix in your home? In the major rooms of your home? Is the crucifix something more then a necklace worn for style, but a way of life that elevates our sight unto the Lord?

Our Gospel is giving us an invitation to look upon the cross and to grow in our love. Through the cross we conform ourself unto Christ in order that He may live within us. If we are willing to compromise the faith we reject the cross. In the midst of every temptation we must look upon the cross in order to find the strength to turn against it. As the Lord stated in the Gospel of Saint John, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Let us look upon the cross and be given faith to join with Him in order that we may grow in our love.

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

17th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

Saint Paul exhorts us to “walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called.”

No matter our status we have been given a vocation. Some will become priests, others will join religious orders, others will embrace holy matrimony, and all no matter if single, married, a priest should come to embrace holiness in their everyday life.

From Gaudete et Exultate (On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World), “We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by laboring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain.”

As Saint Josemaria Escriva stated, “Whenever sanctity is genuine, it overflows from its vessel to fill other hearts, other souls, with it superabundance. We, the children of God, sanctify ourselves by sanctifying others. Is Christian life growing around you? Consider this every day.”

All of this goes hand in hand with what we were instructed in our Gospel. There we were told to not only love God, but also our neighbor. Holiness cannot be achieved if we have nothing to do with God or nothing to do with our neighbor. The love that Christ shows to us from the cross is abundant and without end. The more we enter into this love the more that we have to share with others.

No matter what our vocation may or may not be we are all called upon to love God and neighbor. Each vocation has different emphasis, but all of them remain united in coming to pursue holiness in our everyday life. If we forget to “walk worthy of the vocation in which (we have been) called” we lose sight of it’s God given purpose and begin to use it for our own personal gain.

The cross must remain part of our life for through it we see the sacrifice that must take place if we are to love. Marriage is not about me. Being a priest is not about me. Living out my daily life is not about me. Instead through the cross we see what must be surrendered if we are to embrace our God given vocation and live it out faithfully in the midst of a world that can be hostile to such a call.

Let us be not afraid and choose to follow after the Lord who invites us to join with Him and carrying out the vocation to which we have been called. Through His loving care may we come to love Him more deeply in order that we may be sent forth to love our neighbor thus embracing holiness in our everyday life.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Homily

Today we observe the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in place of the 16th Sunday After Pentecost under the permission that has been granted by Bishop Mark Beckman. She serves as the principal patroness of the Diocese of Knoxville for this was the day that our diocese was established.

On the liturgical calendar there are three births which we celebrate: Saint John the Baptist on June 24th, Jesus on December 25th, and as we observe today Saint Mary on September 8th.

Usually the memorial of a saint falls on the day of their death. It is through their death that they died and were judged as worthy of Heaven. These three births are important. In the case of John the Baptist he was the precursor to the Lord and pius thought holds that he was born without original sin thanks to the events of the Visitation. The birth of Christ is important for this is God who takes on our human flesh as the pure and spotless lamb that dies in order that we may be redeemed.

Mary’s birth is also important for she is the New Ark of the Covenant which means that her womb contained God in the second person of the Most Holy Trinity. She was that pure and spotless vessel which was chosen by God for this task. As we acknowledge on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is without sin including that of original sin. It is for these reasons that the celebration of this birth becomes so important.

In the words of Saint Paul, “those (God) foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” This reality becomes the purpose of the life of Mary. From her conception and her birth she was forever prepared for this reality. Through her “yes” given to the Archangel Gabriel she further conformed to this image. Her life was lived in service to her Son.

Likewise, through devotion unto her we conform ourself to the image of her Son. All feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary point the way towards this reality. They never detract from her Son as some would falsely claim. As we continue to foster such devotion our heart is formed to give our “yes” unto God in all that we say and do.

Let us continue this celebration of her birth by fostering such devotion in our life in order that we too may choose to live for her Son and thus also be conformed unto Him. Through the growth of such spiritual strength as this we are “able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth, and the length, and height, and depth” of God’s love. It is this love that is abundant and without end; by entering into such a reality we enter into something that we are always able to more intimately conform ourself to. 

Holy Mary, Mary of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

15th Sunday After Pentecost Homily

The people who witnessed this great miracle exclaimed, “A great prophet is risen up among us, and God has visited His people.”

This brings to fulfillment what was mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy, “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kindred; that is the one to whom you shall listen.”

It is important that we believe that Christ is God who has come to visit His people. As we are told only a few verses following our Gospel, “The disciples of John told him about all these things…and (he) sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

This question puts into perspective who the Lord is and why we should heed His call. The Lord is not just another prophet among many; He is even greater then John the Baptist. As is stated by the United States Council of Catholic Bishops from the article Jesus Christ: Priest, Prophet, and King, “Jesus is, then, Prophet. He is the envoy sent by the Father to bring men the Word of God; his teaching, therefore, has divine authority; the Father himself requires us to listen to the word of Jesus. But Christ is more than prophet; he is the Master, that is, he who teaches on his own authority.”

Therefore, Christ is able to go beyond what any of the prophets including Moses was able to do. An example of this was encountered two weeks ago in our Gospel when ten lepers came to be healed under His authority. Likewise, this week under His authority a dead man came to be raised.

We too must come to place our trust in the healing words which He speaks with His lips. The Lord is our refuge and is the one who brings life to us. This is not because He spoke nice words and made people happy, but because He is God among us who has taken on our human flesh in order that we may be redeemed.

As the Lord stated unto the disciples of John, “Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes. I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom scripture says: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare your way before you.”

The Lord continues to call each of us towards such conversion. From Saint John the Baptist’s call, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Through such conversion we continue to reorient our life unto Him. Belief in Him is something which is most serious because He is more then a feeling, a thought, or nice guy. Some use Him to propagate a message of tolerance and dismal of sin. Rather, in His own words, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Let our life be led entirely unto Him for truly “a great prophet is risen up among us, and God has visited His people.”

22nd Sunday in OT Year B Homily

Saint James admonishes us to “be doers of the word and not hearers only.”

From this we must question what is this word and why is it so important to heed. This word is that which is revealed to us through sacred Scripture and given to us in the form of sacred Tradition. It is these two which work in unison in order to proclaim the fullness of faith that is contained inside of the Church as is handed down to us by Christ.

The 2nd Vatican Council document Dei Verbum (The Word of God) states on this manner, “Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end.”

There are some who have nothing do with either of these realities. There are others who stress sola scriptura which means scripture alone. If we are to know the word that is being planted within us then we need to have an understanding of the fullness of faith. This fullness can only be known if we have these two working together in order to bring it about. 

As Catholics we cannot be content with sitting in Mass alone and not desiring to go any deeper. Each time that we assist at Holy Mass we are able to hear sacred Scripture proclaimed to us and we are able to hear homilies which express Scripture in the light of Church teaching. Through the internet we might even find homilies or reflections which assist us in expounding upon the Scriptures. All of these are good and helpful at assisting us in our life of faith.

Nevertheless, we must do something with what we are given. At the conclusion of each Mass we are invited to go forth. We go forth in order take that which we have received here inside of the Church with us that it may be brought out into the world in order that it may be lived. If we are hearers only what we receive will not be brought forth to be lived.

As Archbishop Chaput stated, “If we really believe that Jesus Christ is who he says he is, and that the Catholic Church is who she says she is, then we need to live like it. If we really believe that the Gospel is true, we need to embody it in our private lives and our public choices.”

What is required of us by this word may be prove to be most difficult especially when it means that we must undergo trials and persecutions due to to the Gospel. As Saint James states to this, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” 

Let us be sent forth from here in order that we be “doers of the word and not hearers only.”